'Not out of the woods': Fire-scarred LA braces for another round of dangerous winds

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LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- At least 25 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires, fueled by severe drought conditions and strong Santa Ana winds, continue to rage across Southern California, leaving fire crews scrambling to contain the historic destruction.

KABC logo
Jan 15, 2025, 7:58 PM

Wildfires burning in SoCal: Numbers at a glance

Here are all the current wildfires burning in Southern California at a glance.

Palisades Fire

  • 23,713 acres
  • 19% containment
  • 9 deaths
  • 5,316 structures burned

Eaton Fire in San Gabriel Valley

  • 14,117 acres
  • 45% contained
  • Approximately 7,081 structures believed to be damaged or destroyed (structures includes vehicles)
  • 16 deaths
  • 5 firefighter injuries

Hurst Fire in Sylmar

  • 799 acres
  • 97% contained

Auto Fire

  • 61 acres
  • 47% contained

Kenneth Fire in West Hills

  • 1,052 acres
  • 100% contained

KABC logo
1 hour and 4 minutes ago

More than 20,000 donors give $14 million to nonprofit for wildfire relief

More than 20,000 donors have given a total of $14 million to the nonprofit California Community Foundation to support recovery efforts prompted by the Southern California wildfires, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said.

"I want to acknowledge the thousands of Angelenos who have come together all across the city to help -- hundreds, thousands of people just showing up, who are providing resources and supplies for victims," Bass said at a Tuesday morning news conference.

The mayor also thanked the Walt Disney Co., Netflix, the Wasserman Foundation, the Hilton Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation, Snap Inc. "and so many others for donating millions of dollars to relief efforts.

More than 20,000 donors have given a total of $14 million to the nonprofit California Community Foundation to support recovery efforts prompted by the Southern California wildfires, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said.

"L.A., we stand together," Bass said. "We will do what we need to be safe over the next couple of days, and then we rebuild. We will rebuild Los Angeles and make Los Angeles the world-class city that we are."

Donations to the California Community Foundation's wildfire recovery fund can be made by visiting the organization's website.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC7.

ByMax Zahn ABCNews logo
1 hour and 4 minutes ago

LA fire costs could reach $30 billion for insurers

Multiple fires raging across the Los Angeles area will cost insurers as much as $30 billion, Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs estimated in a report released this week.

After accounting for non-insured damages, the total costs will balloon to $40 billion, the report said.

The ongoing fires, according to analysts, appear to already be the costliest wildfire event in California history.

READ MORE | LA fire costs could reach $30 billion for insurers

Ari Rivera, rear, Anderson Hao hold each other in front of their destroyed home in Altadena, Calif., Jan. 9, 2025.
Ari Rivera, rear, Anderson Hao hold each other in front of their destroyed home in Altadena, Calif., Jan. 9, 2025.
1 hour and 4 minutes ago

Winds pick up across Los Angeles, Ventura counties

A "particularly dangerous situation" with a red flag warning is in effect for parts of L.A. County and most of Ventura County on Tuesday, weather officials said, with winds threatening to further fuel the region's wildfires.

The warning went into effect at 4 a.m. and will last through noon Wednesday. Winds are forecast to gust between 45 mph to 70 mph, with relative humidity as low as 8%.

The PDS warning stretches across a large swath of Southern California. Though it doesn't include the area where the Palisades Fire is burning, but does get very close to the Eaton Fire in the Altadena area.

The highest wind gusts reached 72 mph in the San Gabriel Mountains early Tuesday and 50 mph in the Malibu area.

The strongest gusts are expected Tuesday morning and early afternoon, which will then be followed by a break in the evening. More gusty winds are expected Wednesday morning.

ABC News contributed to this reporting.

Jaysha Patel Image
1 hour and 4 minutes ago

Forward progress stopped for Ventura County fire

Firefighters have stopped forward progress of a new brush fire that broke out overnight in Ventura County. The Auto Fire burned 56 acres in the Santa Clara River bottom amid red flag conditions across Southern California.

Officials reported that the blaze was fully contained, but later said it stands at 0% containment.

The fire danger posed by the return of strong Santa Ana winds is expected to remain through Wednesday afternoon.

A new fire erupted overnight amid dangerous red flag conditions across Southern California. The Auto Fire burned 56 acres in Ventura County before firefighters stopped its forward progress.